


Christmas Far From Home

by flipflop_diva



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Kissing, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:28:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27980781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flipflop_diva/pseuds/flipflop_diva
Summary: It's been a hard year. The least Harry can do is give Hermione a nice Christmas.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18
Collections: Mistletoe Exchange 2020





	Christmas Far From Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sultrybutdamaged](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sultrybutdamaged/gifts).



It was cold and gray. Ice fell from the sky, shattering on the ground and ricocheting on to their faces. The wind howled, making them shiver inside their cloaks, even when inside the safety of the tent.

For the first time in seven years, Christmas was miserable. Harry was miserable. And he knew Hermione was miserable as well.

He stared out at the world, all dull and shapeless, as the ice fell, not bothering to really focus on the guard duty he was supposed to be doing. He couldn’t imagine anyone else out willingly in this weather, and despite their close escape the night before, he didn’t really think Voldemort knew where they were and how to come get them.

He closed his eyes against the bitter cold and thought back to happier times, to waking up Christmas mornings in his Hogwarts dormitory, to his bed being covered in presents. He thought about the joy and laughter he and Ron would share as they ripped off the wrappings, unveiling all the goodies sent to them from Hermione and Hagrid and the Weasleys. He thought about the Christmas feasts in the Great Hall. He thought about how he would fall into bed at the end of those days, happy and content and grateful for what his life had turned out to be.

He opened his eyes now and looked down at the wand in his hand. Hermione’s wand. His gloved hand clutched it tighter as he thought of the way she looked when she handed it to him, her eyes full of tears.

He sighed. He was such a fool.

She could have left him when Ron had. She could have abandoned him on this stupid quest so long ago. But she hadn’t. She was still here, by his side, trying her best to help him, trying her best to make sure they achieved his goal. His goals, not hers.

She deserved more than this. More than him being the worst to her and making her feel bad for something that wasn’t her fault in the first place. She had saved his life the night before, and what had he done but make her feel horrible?

He needed to do something to make it up to her. She had been so upset since Ron left, and he wasn’t helping matters.

A thought came to mind.

It was still Christmas. Not for much longer, but he still had time. Time to do something a little special. It wouldn’t be — couldn’t be — anything close to the Christmases they’d had at Hogwarts or that she probably had with her parents, but he could at least give her something.

\--

He started with the easy part. 

The weather had let up just enough that there were now drops of ice cold rain instead of chunks of ice falling from the sky, a great improvement as far as Harry was concerned. He told Hermione he was going to try and find them some fish in the creek down from where they were camped. She barely looked up from her book to acknowledge him, and he didn’t blame her. He walked out of camp, the hood of his cloak over his head, and made it far enough away that she couldn’t see him or hear him before Apparating to the little store they had been to a few times. 

He thanked every wizard he knew that the small sign on the door proclaimed it was open, even during the awful weather and on Christmas day. He fumbled in the pocket of his cloak and found he had just enough money on him to get a few sweets and a couple pieces of bread and a potato or two. He stuffed the food into his pockets before Apparating back to camp, making sure Hermione was none the wiser.

Next, he found a tiny tree that had fallen over in the icy forest, but with enough branches that it would work for their purposes. He spent his guard duty time fashioning makeshift ornaments from leaves and sticks.

Hours later, once Hermione was on guard duty, he set about on the rest of his plan. He enchanted the lights inside the tent to be red and green. He set up the tiny tree and placed the ornaments on its little branches. Then he heated up the bread and cooked the potatoes and wrapped the sweets in a strip of cloth he took off a shirt that had been ruined too much to wear anymore.

He set the sweets by Hermione’s plate, looked around one more time to make sure everything was ready, and then went to call her.

“My time isn’t up yet,” she said to him, looking confused.

“I know,” he answered. “But it’s okay. There’s no one out here tonight.”

The icy rain had started coming down harder after he had returned from his trip to town, and the cold and the wind had picked up even more. Even if there were people out in that weather, the chances they would find them, and get past all their magical barriers, were incredibly small.

“Okay.” Hermione seemed reluctant and Harry couldn’t blame her, but she got up from her perch and followed him inside.

He made sure to stay in front of her until they got to the main room of the tent, and then he moved out of the way, turning around so he could see her.

He watched as she took it all in — the lights, the food, the tree, the present — and then she turned to him, and he was stunned to see her eyes were once again flooded with tears.

“Oh, Harry,” she whispered.

He felt like he had been punched. He instantly felt horrible. He wasn’t sure what he had done wrong, but he should have thought this through better. He ducked his head in shame. “I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I thought you would like it.”

“Oh, Harry, I love it!”

He lifted his head, his heart leaping in his chest. “You do?”

“Of course I do! This is wonderful! Look at what you did for me.”

“You deserve a happy Christmas.”

“So do you.”

Their eyes met. Time seemed to slow down. For a moment, the fact that Hermione liked his present to her meant more to him than anything else in the world — more than finding Horcruzes, more than defeating Voldemort, more than ever having a normal life again.

“I know it’s hard without Ron,” he managed to say.

“It is.” Hermione took a step toward him. They were so close now, almost touching. “But I’m glad I’m here with you. I chose you, you know.”

“You did? I mean, you did, but …” Harry paused. “You did?”

“I did,” Hermione whispered, and then she leaned in, closing the gap between them as their lips met for the very first time.

It was like Harry’s body exploded, a mix of sensation and happiness and excitement pouring out at him at the touch.

“Happy Christmas,” Hermione whispered when she pulled back from him.

“Happy Christmas,” he repeated, feeling dazed, and then wanting more, he closed his eyes as her lips returned to his once again.


End file.
